Memorial Day

Esau Roberts 

(Photo courtesy of Leon Hancock
 via Irene Richard)

As a little girl, my grandmother Poole would pick forget-me-nots and pin them on my top.  It is one of those special moments you never forget; looking in the mirror at the tiny, blue flowers while she dabbed her perfume in my hair.

That was every July 1st, Newfoundland's Memorial Day; the day in which we honour those who fell in the Great War.  It was that date in 1916 which saw the young men of Newfoundland up against the Germans in Beaumont - Hamel, France.  It turned out to be one of the darkest days in the nations's history and it was all over in just 30 minutes.  Only 68 men of the 801 answered the roll call the next day.

As did many of her generation, my grandmother saw friends come home from that war broken and wounded and knew of some who did not return at all.  It was a heart breaking time.

One of her cousins, Esau Roberts of Seal Islands, Labrador, was a Royal Naval Reservist (1935X) during World War I.  I discovered the following clip from the Daily News Events of the Year 1917:

R. N. R. HEROES RETURN

By the express yesterday, twenty one Royal Naval Reservists, who have been on duty for two years and over, returned on furlough. The men are: John BUTTON, C.A. ROSE, Josiah PORTER, Thomas J. RAHAL, Esau ROBERTS, George BRAKE, Albert PORTER, W. H. BARTLETT, Enos RYAN, E. DUNN, J. HIBBS, Harvey TORRAVILLE, William RYAN, J.E. ELLIS, Peter BUTT, W. H. HARDING, A. COCHRANE, H. GEORGE, B. BRACE, W. BRADBURY, S. DAVIS. At the station they were met by the Ladies Reception Committee, detachments from the Volunteers and Royal Naval Reserve and the Acting Premier, Hon. J. R. Bennett. The men were addressed by Hon. Mr. Bennett, and later on driven to Government House.

Having been gone for so long it must have felt so nice to have such attention paid to them.  After all, it was the Premier no less!  They deserved all that attention and so much more.  It is such a shame that so many were not as fortunate.

He entered the Royal Reserve in 1915 and was discharged on February 28, 1918 due to deteriorating eyesight.

Esau went on to marry Victoria Flynn where they and their children lived in Forteau, Labrador.  He died in 1971 at the age of 79.

Below is the birthday greeting post card that was given to my grandmother Maud Salter from Esau in January of 1918.  As a joke he added that it was sent "in remembrance of his birthday".  He was "now 26 and getting old haha".

After all he had been through he was still quite a kidder.

To Dearest Cousin Miss Maud Salter,

With best wishes and gladest thoughts, 

From Esau